Sand turns into art

Graphics

Chris Crosson carefully etched the moist sand using a small detailing tool the size of a pencil, gingerly creating a staircase that wound its way up a sandy, spooky castle.

Two helpers held an 8-foot-tall ladder to keep Crosson from toppling over onto his 12-foot-tall creation.

“It's a day at the beach with friends,” said Crosson, sweating under a straw hat that shaded him from the strong sun. “It doesn't get much better than this. It's therapeutic.”

The 52nd annual Corona del Mar Sandcastle Contest happened on the shore Sunday in Newport Beach, bringing family, friends and team-building groups together to create artwork out of sand. This year's theme was “Haunted Castles.”

It was a picture-perfect day with no clouds in sight and water sparkling steps away from the sandcastle builders, all of whom were focused and determined as the clock ticked down.

George Lesley, event chairman, said there were strict rules during the building. There are only eight people allowed in the building area at a time. As the clock nears 11, teams can pick out a spot on the sand they want to use and can get it wet, but can't start building until the clock hits 11. There were 28 teams competing.

“They just come out here and have fun on one of the most beautiful beaches around,” Lesley said.

Crosson was nervous about whether the layers of the castle would hold up. They didn't; the top layers of the castle came crumbling down.

Josh McCool was shoveling heaps of sand three feet below the surface to make way for what was turning into a big whale.

He remembers one year, when he was a kid, when organizers didn't have enough competitors. They asked members of his family if they wanted to participate. Now, they drive in from the Inland Empire and Los Angeles to keep the tradition going. This was their 20th year.

“We've been coming back ever since,” said McCool, now 32. “It's just a fun family tradition.”

His team members try to bring humor to their creations. One year, they had a cow swimming with scuba gear and surrounded by sharks; it read: “scared milkless.” Then there was the year they made a shark with an arm sticking out, holding a cellphone. That one read: “Can you hear me now?”

This year, they were creating trick-or-treating sea creatures.

He said the strategy was simply “breaking our backs.” Sometimes they win, sometimes they don't.

“We don't practice, we do this once a year,” he said. “It's always a gamble, but it's always a lot of fun.”

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